29 Aug 08/29/2021
MCR Safety's Best Over-the-Glasses (OTG) Safety Glasses
Safety glasses are an essential form of eye protection worn across most industries. Unfortunately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals that nearly three out of five eye injuries involve individuals not wearing safety glasses, which is highly concerning since eye protection isn't terribly expensive and you're only furnished with one set of eyes to last a lifetime.
For those who do value eye protection, there are some challenges faced if prescription glasses are required. Users often try to substitute their glasses with standard safety glasses to realize that their vision will not allow such a decision. Or, they may try to wear their prescription glasses and hope they protect their eyes from on-the-job hazards. So, what should you do if you need to wear prescription glasses and can't switch them out to wear standard safety glasses?
Law OTG protecting a user's eyes.
Some will choose to purchase custom prescription safety glasses. However, this can be a costly option. A more favorable and economical option is to purchase safety glasses that fit over prescription glasses. OTG (over-the-glasses) safety glasses are protective eyeglasses made to go over most prescription eyewear, letting workers continue to wear their everyday glasses. OTG safety glasses provide the user with eye protection that doesn't distort their vision and protect their eyes.
This article will highlight everything you need to know about OTG style eye protection. We'll also showcase our top-selling over-the-glasses styles to make sure you know about the must-have features in a pair of OTG safety glasses or goggles.
The Purpose of Safety Glasses
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports roughly 2,000 U.S. workers who experience workplace eye injuries every day. So, for those who are considering forgoing wearing safety glasses, you might want to think again. Optometrists emphasize the need to wear sufficient eye protection because eye injuries can leave permanent damage.
Safety glasses provide an appropriate barrier between the eyes and the on-the-job hazards that can cause irreparable damage. As we identify in our OSHA and Safety Glasses article, the four leading hazards most likely to cause eye injury are heat, chemicals, dust, and impact. All four of these hazards have the potential of permanently altering a person's vision.
What are OTG Safety Glasses?
For people who already wear prescription glasses, it can be tempting to think, "these are good enough to protect my eyes." Unfortunately, that is not the case! Over-the-glasses safety glasses provide much more protection than traditional prescription frames and lenses can provide. Consider the image above: you can see the increased safety as the OTG protects above, below, and along the sides of the prescription glasses. Your eyes are protected from all angles!
Plus, OTG styles are impact-resistant and tested to the ANSI Z87.1 high-impact test standard, which requires glasses to withstand impact from a steel ball going 150 ft per second. They are made of solid polycarbonate materials that can easily absorb most impact dangers found on the job.
Benefits of OTG Safety Glasses
Over-the-glasses styles are a much more affordable option than investing in prescription safety glasses, which are often even more expensive than traditional prescription glasses. In a price-conscious world, a less expensive alternative is often enough for most people to choose to wear OTG safety glasses.
In addition, you can switch out the OTG style with different lenses. If you need a dark sunglasses, simply swap out the clear lenses for a tinted option. If you were opting to get prescription glasses, you would have to pay more for a transition lens or purchase multiple high-end prescription glasses with different lens colors. Those costs add up quickly.
Top Features
As with all products, there are essential features you'll want to pay attention to when selecting the appropriate OTG safety glasses for your needs.
Adjustable Fit
The most requested OTG feature is adjustable ratcheting temples, allowing one style to fit various face sizes and shapes. Traditional safety glasses are often tight on a person's head and can cause headaches if worn for long periods. However, ratcheting temples allow some give, and users can adjust the direction of how the glasses sit on their faces. This can alleviate pressure and allow for all-day wear. Adjustable ratcheting temples ensure a comfortable, personalized fit!
Durable Coatings
Anti-scratch coatings increase the durability and wearability of safety glasses. Our new Klondike® OTG, highlighted below, is equipped with an outer lens featuring 3X greater scratch resistance than standard lens coatings.
You'll find coated styles, including our 3X greater scratch-resistant coatings, and uncoated styles in our safety glasses lineup.
Lightweight Comfort
Lightweight safety glasses are easier to wear for long periods, essential for workers who need to stay protected for 8-10 hours a day. The thicker the glass, the heavier the glasses, and the less comfortable someone will find their protection. This increases the likelihood of someone taking off their glasses all together, as was often the case with original OTG models.
Our new KD OTG style is lightweight and streamlined, ensuring exceptional airflow without sacrificing protection and ensuring the user is comfortable all day. The best way to protect your vision and eyes is to wear safety glasses so comfortable that you won't want to take them off.
Personal Style
KD OTG
Modern styling is an appealing component for anyone who wears safety glasses every day. We understand that fact, and it pushes us to raise the bar and expand our offerings continually. Check out more about KD OTG style below!
Fog-Resistant Protection
Few things are more frustrating than dealing with fogged-up safety glasses! Anti-fog (AF) technologies provide OTG wearers with a significant reduction in the fog that can come from heat, humidity, masks, and more. Our new KD OTG style, arriving January 2022, comes with our most advanced AF coating, which is six times more powerful than standard AF technologies.
MCR Safety's Best OTG Options
We break down each OTG style into clear and tinted lenses while highlighting the good, better, and best styles under each.
Clear
A clear tint is ideal in any low-light environment or while working indoors. Let's break down our good, better, and best options available.
The 9800XL series features an XL contemporary style designed to provide angular coverage and improved peripheral vision. It's engineered with a molded-in brow guard and vented side shields to ensure additional protection. This style is available with either hard-coated lenses for scratch resistance or uncoated lenses for extra cost savings. Our 9810 is hard-coated, and the 9800XL is uncoated.
Law OTG
The Law® OTG110AF is considerably more stylish than the large first-generation OTG styles introduced in the 1980s. In addition, it's the first anti-fog (AF) option found in our oversized safety glasses lineup, ensuring your glasses don't get fogged up.
The Law's® wrap-around design comes equipped with a 5-position ratchet action temple, meaning it's adjustable and will fit a wide range of faces. And, if your job puts you in direct contact with electricity, don't worry. The OTG110AF features no metal parts!
KD OTG
Are you ready to try our premium OTG style to cover your glasses? Not only does our new Klondike® OTG series look amazing, but it also comes loaded with unique features and clear coatings. Here are some of the unique features that make this 21st century OTG stand out from other styles:
- Soft, permanently bonded TPR brow guard to keep out debris
- Streamlined, permanently bonded TPR temple arms
- 3-position adjustable temple length
- UV420 lens available, which blocks 99.9% of harmful rays up to 410nm
We stock a clear coating in both the black temple color and the hi-vis lime temple color. Plus, the starting coating on these glasses is 6X more powerful than the standard AF coating. We also stock dual coatings for each temple color, meaning the front coating has 3X greater scratch resistance and the inner coating comes equipped with 6X more excellent fog resistance.
KD OTG arrives 1st quarter 2022. Please leave us a message to see about getting a complimentary trial pair sent out to you!
Tinted
A tinted over-the-glasses style is generally preferred by those who work outside all day. Let's break down our good, better, and best options.
98 Series
In the 98 series, we stock a filter 2.0 coating, part number 98120, and a 5.0 coating, part number 98150. These tinted filtered styles are made for those who cut and weld metal.
Law OTG
Made with the same functionality as our clear style, OG112AF is tinted to provide additional protection for work environments where bright lights and glare are of concern.
The same features mentioned above with the clear style are also included in our tinted KD OTG.
We thought it would be helpful to provide you with a matrix of all the coatings found in our new KD OTG glasses that arrive in January 2022, so you can quickly select the style and coating you prefer. The matrix below shows the part numbers for temple colors that match up with specific coating types. For additional information on Max 6 and Dual Coatings, visit our anti-fog coatings educational page.
RX Insert
Instead of wearing over-the-glasses safety glasses, you have other options besides purchasing brand-new prescription safety glasses. We also sell inserts that go in between the safety glasses and nose piece. All you have to do is take the insert to your optometrist and have the lens made to your prescription requirements. The advantage of this approach is that it's less expensive than buying a full pair of prescription glasses. Plus, the insert can be taken out and moved to other glasses in our KD3 series. KDRX is the insert that fits into the KD3 series safety glasses.
We also stock an HDXINSERT, which pairs with the HDX series shown above and below.
Safety Goggles Over Glasses
Sometimes a complete seal is required of eye protection, and that's where safety goggles come in. A common question is: Can safety goggles be worn over glasses? The answer is: yes. However, safety goggles that fit over glasses must have enough depth behind the lens to allow a prescription glass to be worn underneath. In addition to the HB3 series shown above, we've identified other goggle styles that accommodate prescription eyewear in our lineup. These other two styles have an extra roomy design to fit prescription glasses while still offering complete eye protection.
Common Questions
When are safety glasses preferred over safety goggles?
- Safety goggles provide additional protection if you work in an environment with splash hazards, airborne dust, and flying debris. They offer a form-fitting facial seal that OTG safety glasses don't offer.
Are OTG safety glasses required at a shooting range?
- Safety glasses are required at almost every firearms shooting range you'll visit. Thankfully, all MCR Safety OTG styles pass the ANSI Z87.1 test for high impact and appropriate protection to wear at the range.
How should safety glasses over glasses fit?
- The most important thing to remember is that eyewear should not be moving all over the place. Instead, glasses of any kind need to be positioned to stay in place without hampering vision.
Protecting Your Eyes!
Are you ready to slip some OTG safety glasses over your prescription glasses? We have plenty of options to choose from, so you're guaranteed to fit the fit and style you need. After reading this article, we hope that you better understand our over-the-glasses lineup and have identified the style that will work best for you! Keep in mind; we do carry other safety glasses that fit over glasses, which are considered OTG friendly. All over the glass styles can be found by visiting our OTG online safety glass catalog
Click the below image to leave us comments, questions, or any concerns.
For over 45 years, MCR Safety has proven to be a world leader in gloves, glasses, and garments. Whether it's protecting workers' eyes on the shop floor, we are there providing solutions to workplace hazards. It's all part of our commitment to protect people.
No matter your industry, we have the personal protective equipment you need.
Learn more about MCR Safety by checking out our most recent video. For more information, browse our website, request a catalog, find a distributor, or give us a call at 800-955-6887.
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